High speed multimedia data network

摘要

A low cost, high speed multimedia data network is disclosed. The network preferably includes a fiber optic data bus arranged in a star topology configuration. Various types of devices or nodes may be placed in communication with the bus via a specially designed interface. The interface allows a device to communicate with the high speed network without requiring that the device have the processing power to receive and transmit data according to the protocols and demands of the network. The interface may be configured to match the complexity of its associated device. For intelligent devices, the interface may allow some of the network-related functions to be performed by the device itself. For non-intelligent (or "dumb") devices, the interface performs substantially all of the network-related functions. In general, the interface provides the capability of insulating a node from the complexities of the high speed network by receiving data from and providing data to the node according to the node's data format, and receiving data from and providing data to the network according to the network's data format. The general messaging protocols are designed to facilitate the transfer of data in a star topology configuration, while also facilitating the relatively low cost and flexible implementation of the network.